Apple's Animoji may provide more ways to interact with the face-tracking animated characters, by playing appropriate sound effects for each avatar triggered when users either make specific expressions or say certain words during a recording session.

The latest iOS 12 beta has a new avatar generation feature intended for the iPad that requires a TrueDepth camera system, lending credence to rumors that FaceID iPads are coming sooner rather than later.

From its release right up until this month's earnings announcement, analysts have said Apple will discontinue the iPhone X this year due to low sales. While the iPhone X itself might be replaced by new models and not continue for a second year, like the iPhone 7, there is no denying what Apple's premium smartphone has brought to the table.

This week on the AppleInsider podcast, Victor is joined by Sonya Mann to talk about the latest news in iPhone LCD and SE2, the difficulty with going all-in on USB-C, and EU proposed regulation of app stores.

Negative comments from two Apple suppliers about the next iPhone generation could hamper investor expectations for the next quarter, suggests Gene Munster of Loup Ventures, but predictable iPhone sales make this only a near-term risk instead of a long-term problem.

Shares in AMS, a producer of components used in the iPhone X's TrueDepth camera, dropped in value by 14 percent after the manufacturer warned of lower than expected revenue in the second quarter, possibly due to Apple being slow to finalize its production plans for this year's iPhone refresh.

Apple piled on to its list of announcements on Tuesday with updates to Clips and GarageBand for iOS, adding a barrage of content to both, and a new feature to the second -- support for the iPhone X's TrueDepth camera.

Apple could begin trial production of its 2018 iPhones as soon as next quarter, seeking to avoid the production problems with TrueDepth cameras thought to have pushed the iPhone X's launch into last November, a report claimed on Thursday.

Apple's savvy supply chain acumen has afforded it a two-year lead in a mounting 3D sensing arms race the company sparked with the introduction of Face ID on iPhone X, as reports claim major suppliers will not have crucial parts available for Android makers until 2019.

Apple supplier Finisar intends to make its new 700,000 square foot facility in Sherman, Texas the 'VCSEL capital of the world,' the firm's vice president and general manager revealed, as part of tour of its under-construction production lines that will eventually supply the laser-based components used in the iPhone X as well as other industries.

With the iPhone X just three months out of the gate, and discussions about the 2018 iPhone refresh starting, eyes are starting to look at 2019, with new supply chain discussion by an investment analyst firm suggesting that Apple is now working on a world-facing 3D sensor to assert dominance in augmented reality.